Police arrested Daisha Ervin, 24, and charged her with carrying a pistol unlawfully. Police say she's the lawful owner of the gun, but she broke the law when she placed the gun in the backseat of the car, allowing a child access to it.

The boy's grandmother was hospitalized Sunday after she was shot in the back, police announced Monday.

Ervin told police she left the gun in the backseat of her car while driving her nephew. The child found the gun and accidentally fired the weapon, striking his grandmother in the back of the passengers seat, according to police.

"[The great-aunt] stated she looked back and [the child] had the gun in both hands and began to cry," the police report reads.

Ervin was able to get help from a relative, who contacted authorities. The grandmother was taken to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte for treatment.